My Number One Fan
by LizzyVengeance
Summary: Riley is a girl who met her best friend, future professional wrestler Jeff Hardy, at the age of seven. Follow their lives from growing up together in North Carolina to the biggest night of both their lives.
1. Chapter 1

"Hey, who are you?" a voice asked. I turned around and seen a boy about my age watching me.

"Riley." I replied with a small voice.

"Riley? Isn't that a boy's name?" the kid asked. I became defensive automatically, but knew I couldn't say anything to offend him. He could help me find my way to where I was going.

"It is, but I was named after my grandfather." I said instead of cursing the kid out.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked, walking up to me. I immediately flinched away.

"I'm not gonna hurt you." he said. "I just want to talk. Get to know how you landed up at the end of our driveway."

"Am I at the end of you're driveway?" I asked, looking toward where the boy came from. I didn't see a house, just a narrow path in the middle of the woods.

"Yeah you are." he said, looking the same way.

"I-I'm sorry. I'll j-just leave." I said, standing up and running before he could say anything else.

"Hey wait!" the kid called, but I didn't stop. It was one thing to pass out in front of someone, it was entirely different to do it on that person's property. Even in my seven year old mind I knew that it looked bad when something like that happened.

I continued to run, not knowing if the guy was following me, and not wanting to turn to check. I don't know how long I ran for, but it seemed like forever. I collapsed onto the ground as I heard a car start to drive by me on the street. Scared, I tried to hide myself, hoping the car would pass.

"There she is Dad!" I heard a voice call. It was the kid from up the road. The car pulled up beside me and car doors opened.

"Where you from girly?" the older man asked me. I flinched and tried to shrink back into the trees more, but somehow, the gentle look in his eyes assured me I could trust him. I opened my mouth to reply, but nothing came out. For one, I didn't exactly know where I came from. I just knew it was far away and I couldn't ever go back. Another thing was I couldn't talk, even if I did know what to say.. I was too out of breath and too tired.

"What are we going to do with her Dad?" a new voice asked. It sounded like another kid to me, but I couldn't really tell.

"Take her to the hospital." the older man replied as if it was the most obvious answer. The older man lifted me up and put me in the backseat of the car. The boy I met up the road jumped in beside me while the other two got into the front seat.

"What's goin' on here Gilbert?" A voice from outside asked suddenly. I felt the person beside me tense up as if he was caught grabbing a cookie from the cookie jar.

"Nothin' to worry about Paul!" The man, whom I presumed to be named "Gilbert" answered him. "Just Jeff thinking he seen something headin' this way."

"But Dad," the kid beside me, Jeff I was presuming, started protesting. Gilbert made a shushing noise as the car rocked gently from someone moving around.

"Do you want the police involved?" the kid in the front asked quietly.

"Shut up Matt." Jeff said. My fuzzy brain, however tired I seemed to be, was still able to put two and two together. Paul, police. This Paul guy was a police officer.

I quickly sat up, only to be forced back down by Jeff.

"Shh." he said, keeping his hand on my shoulder.

"Need. Paul." I said, struggling against Jeff's hand to sit up. "Need. To. See. Him."

"Why?" Jeff asked, shocked.

"Might. Be. Family." I said, trying to sit up again. "He might be my u-uncle." Jeff looked to his brother with surprise. Matt tapped his father's arm and told him what I just said.

"Are you sure?" Gilbert asked me. I nodded, not realizing he couldn't see me. Jeff told his father I was sure. Gilbert turned the car off and got out, walking toward the door I was sitting the closest to. "He went back inside, I'll go talk to him, but just know, if he isn't who he says he is, we can't help you anymore than this." I just nodded, knowing this guy had to be who I was looking for. I remembered the name and his job. Gilbert sighed as he shut the door. I heard a knocking sound then muttered voices talking. There was a few minutes of silence before the car door opened again. I looked up to see another man beside Gilbert, but I could have been looking at them through a glass of water with how I was seeing things. "That's her." Gilbert's voice said suddenly, making me jump. My head collapsed from me not being able to hold it up any longer, but someone grabbed my chin and tilted my head for me.

"She looks like my brother." Paul mumbled quietly. "But it's hard to tell. Bring her inside. What's her name?"

"Riley." Jeff spoke up. "She didn't tell me a last name, just Riley."

"Come on boys," Gilbert said.

"Dad can I walk home? Mom should be back by now." Matt's voice asked. A car door opening and closing, followed by feet walking on gravel, told me that Gilbert agreed.

"I'm going to pick you up Riley," Gilbert said. I felt him grab my arm, but I pulled it from his grasp."I can walk." I said, forcing my head up and forcing my legs to move. What I wasn't able to force however, was my legs to support my weight when I stood. I started collapsing again, but was caught by Gilbert's firm grasp again."'I can walk.'" I heard Jeff mimic sarcastically. I winced as Gilbert carried me into a bright house.

"Paul, what's going on?" a female voice asked. "Nothing Marylyn. The Hardy boy Jeff found this girl. She's claiming to be our niece." Paul said.

"She's not to certain. She's exhausted." Gilbert said. They laid me on something soft, a couch. I instantly started falling asleep.

"She can stay here tonight. I'll call my brother in the morning and ask him about her." I heard Paul say to Gilbert. I felt a blanket get tossed over me, and the feeling of warmth swept me away.

"Goodnight Riley." someone whispered. I didn't know who it was, but the person moved hair from my forehead as I started falling asleep. "Come on Jeff. Let's leave her alone. I'll bring you back up tomorrow if it's okay with Paul and Marylyn." another voice said. Paul said it was fine, that he would call first thing in the morning so they could come by around noon. The person touching my hair left. Soon, the only thing I knew was darkness.

~Time Elapse: 2 years~

Bright lights were the only thing I seen through my closed eyelids. I stirred and rolled over on my bed groaning softly as I pulled the blanket over my head.

"Better wake up Riley, Jeff's on his way over." My aunt's voice was saying from somewhere close by. At the mention of my best friend's name, I quickly sprang from my bed and ran to my dresser, throwing on the clothes that was laying out for me by my aunt.

"Make your bed to young lady!" my uncle's voice called from the living room.

"Okay Uncle Paul!" I called out. After tying my shoelaces, I made my bed as quickly as I could and went into the living room just as a knock sounded at the door. I ran to it and threw it open, thinking it was Jeff, possible with it his older brother Matt. It wasn't them, but I still knew who it was instantly. Officer Malcolm, my uncle's partner.

"Reggie, what are you doing here?" Uncle Paul asked, standing up and walking up to the door.

"Riley, go outside and wait for Jeff." Aunt Marylyn said, obviously confused by the man coming here. I started making my way past officer Malcolm, but he quickly stopped me.

"Jeff's not coming over you guys." Officer Malcolm sighed. "I knew you would want to know this as soon as possible, but Gilbert found Ruby in bed this morning. The cancer finally beat her."


	2. Chapter 2

I didn't really understand what Officer Malcolm had said. I just knew it was something to do with Mrs. Hardy, who had been really sick lately.

"Oh no. Are you certain?" Aunt Marylyn asked, her hand over her mouth. Officer Malcolm nodded, running his hand through his balding hair.

"Unfortunately yes. He called the police station to get them to send an ambulance, and he wanted me to let you know, since he knew Riley was expecting Jeff and Matt to come over.

"Aunt Mary, what's going on?" I asked finally.

"Sweetie, Jeff and Matt aren't going to be coming over for a while. They're mother…" her voice trailed off. She cleared her throat and continued. "They're mommy went to heaven." she finished.

"You mean, she died?" I asked, knowing what it meant when parents tell their kids that. Aunt Marylyn looked confused on how I knew that when they never mentioned anything about death to me in the two years I've been here. "My mom told me that there is no heaven, that when people say that, the person just died and they're put in the ground to rot away."

"Now listen to me missy," Uncle Paul said. "There is to a heaven, all the good people go there. Mrs. Hardy is definitely in heaven. She died yes, but just her body died. Her spirit lives on and is in heaven." I didn't believe him, but I didn't want him to know that. They were trying to un-teach everything my mother told me, but it never worked. Mom tried to make it to where everything she taught me I wouldn't forget.

"Can I go see them?" I asked my uncle.

"I think it would be best if we leave them alone for a while." Uncle Paul said. I nodded, but something out of the corner of my eye had me looking around my uncle's partner. Jeff was walking up to the house, looking lost.

"JEFFY!" I shouted, running around the police officer and down the front stairs. I slipped and fell, scraping my knee a little, but I didn't even notice the sting. I was used to it since I starting to hang out with Jeff and Matt, and I've been in worse pain.

"Riley, my mom…"Jeff started saying.

"I know." I said. "Malcolm told us."

"What am I gonna do?" Jeff asked, resting his hand on my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around him while he cried.

"It's okay." I whispered to him. "It's okay Jeff. People die all the time." Jeff's head snapped up. "Okay that was the wrong thing to say." I mumbled. "I just meant it'll be fine. S-she's in heaven. She's in heaven and she's being taken care of." I shivered as the words fell out of my mouth, mainly because I didn't believe it, but Jeff seemed to believe it and that's what I wanted, for him to feel better about things.

"Jeff, I think you need to go back home. You need to be with your father and brother right now." Uncle Paul's voice said from behind me.

"I know, I just needed to see Riley. She's my best friend." Jeff said, sniffing. I released him and watched as he started walking back toward his house.

"Hold on Jeff." Officer Malcolm said. "I'll give you a ride back. I need to get back to the station anyway." I watched as Jeff got into the back of Officer Malcolm's car.

"See you tomorrow Reggie." Uncle Paul said as his partner drove away. The officer honked and drove down the street.

"Those poor boys." Aunt Marylyn said after they left. "Losing their mother at such a young age. Imagine being 9 years old and losing your mother." I didn't say anything, but I knew how it felt.

"Riley, I'm proud of you." Uncle Paul said to me. "You put aside what you believed to help console you're friend. That takes a lot of maturity."

"Thanks Uncle Paul." I said, not looking at him.

"What's wrong sweetie?" Aunt Marylyn asked me.

"I know how it feels to lose a mommy." I said. Both Uncle Paul and Aunt Marylyn nodded in understanding, but they didn't truly understand. Only Jeff and Matt knew how I felt now. How it felt to lose your mother, the woman who took care of you."I'm sorry" I mumbled before running back into the house. I ran into my bedroom and shut the door, jumping onto my bed with my face in my pillow.

"Riley," Aunt Marylyn's voice called through my bedroom door. "Riley, there's something we need to talk to you about. We was going to tell you tonight, but we thought it would be a better time now." When I still didn't reply, I heard the door open, and felt the bed lower as my aunt and uncle sat down. I sat up, looking down at the floor while playing with my fingers.

"We got a call from my brother last night." Uncle Paul said. I knew right away who he was talking about.

"My daddy?" I asked, perking up. Uncle Paul nodded.

"He's coming in to see you this weekend. He's on a break from his job and school, so he decided to come up here to see you."

"I get to see my daddy!" I shouted happily. "If Jeff, Matt and Mr. Hardy is feeling better can they come over?" Uncle Paul and Aunt Marylyn looked at each other before Uncle Paul said "We'll ask Gib if it's okay, but don't hold your breath." I nodded, showing I understood, but I still couldn't help but feel excited. I was going to finally meet my daddy.

Three days after we found out about Mrs. Hardy dying, she was put into the ground, just like my mother had told me they did. I looked around to try to find the spirit Uncle Paul talked about, but I didn't see it. Jeff and Matt was crying the whole time. So was Mr. Hardy. After the funeral, everyone went back to the Hardy's property. They were having a little party thing. I think Uncle Paul called it the "wake." Everyone was talking about Mrs. Hardy and how sorry they felt for Matt and Jeff.

I was sitting in the tree Jeff and I normally climbed. Aunt Marylyn will yell at me because I messed up my dress, but this seemed like a good place to be right now. No one will find me up here, and it was peaceful. Plus it had an excellent view of the Hardy property. I sighed and looked down, seeing Jeff standing beside his brother Matt. Matt put his arm around Jeff's shoulders, then walked away into the house. Jeff wiped his nose with the back of his hand, and walked in this direction aimlessly. He stopped at the base of the tree I was sitting in before grabbing one of the lower branches. He was about a foot away from my branch when he noticed me up here.

"Oh, hi Riley." he said, sliding on the branch beside me.

"Hey. Are you doing okay?" I asked him kindly.

"If it was someone else asking me that again, I probably would have screamed just now. I'm fine, honestly I am. It's just going to be weird, not having my mom around anymore."

"I know." I said. "I miss my mom too." I said. Jeff looked at me curiously. I've never really talk about my mom to anyone. It was too hard for me to think about her.

"What happened to your mom?" Jeff asked. I didn't reply for a minute.

"She died." I said finally. "Uncle Paul was the closet living relative I had that would have probably wanted me, so I became his responsibility after she died."

"So you really do know what I'm going through huh?" Jeff asked. I nodded.

"Except you still have your dad. I never knew mine. I didn't even know a thing about him until right before my mom died." Then a thought struck me. "Oh yeah, my Uncle was going to talk to your dad about this, but he said that if you guys were feeling okay this weekend, you could come over and meet my daddy. He's supposed to be coming over to see me."

"You don't want to meet your father on your own?" Jeff asked, kicking his legs back and forward.

"To tell you the truth, I'm kinda scared about it." I said, looking down.

"Ok, I'll try to talk Dad into going." Jeff said. "You helped me out with this, now it's my turn to help you."

"You know," I said. "I could have been returning you helping me two years ago.

" Jeff looked up confused. "You helped me find my uncle two years ago. You saved me."

"I didn't know you then. This is different. You're my best friend now Riley. That was a 7 year old not knowing what he was doing. Now it's a 9 year old helping his best friend." I nodded, realizing he was right. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders in a sideways hug.

"Thank you Jeff." I said.

"No, thank you Riley for being here." he said back.

"Riley!" We heard my uncle's voice call. I jumped and probably would of fell from the tree if Jeff hadn't grabbed me. "Riley Michelle where are you?"

"Riley Michelle?" Jeff said, laughing. I jabbed his ribs and started climbing back down the tree. I jumped from a branch and landed on my feet.

"Right here Uncle Paul!" I said, straightening my dress.

"Girl, when are you going to stop climbing those trees?" Aunt Marylyn asked walking up behind me.

"I wasn't climbing a tree." I said just as Jeff jumped out of the tree and landed beside me.

"You have leaves in your hair." he whispered, pulling a green leaf from my ponytail. I laughed and quickly walked away, pulling at my hair to get the leaves out of it.

"Come on. We need to get home." Aunt Marylyn said. "We have to clean up before your father gets here."

"I thought he was coming over the weekend." I said, walking away from the Hardy house.

"He got time off early so he'll be there tonight." Uncle Paul said. I just nodded, but now I was wishing I didn't climb down from the tree. I was as scared as I had ever been. I was going to meet my father.

"Uncle Paul, what's he like?" I asked as we continued walking home.

"Tall." Aunt Marylyn said. "Really tall. He looks a little like you, but not to much."

"He's a wrestler to sweetie." Uncle Paul said. "Amateur, but still a pretty good one."

"What's wrestling?" I asked, really interested.

"Perhaps later your dad will show you." Uncle Paul said. I looked up to smile at him, but found him smiling at something ahead of us. I looked and seen a different car in our driveway. I knew right away it had to be my daddy's car. I took in a deep breath, my feet starting to slow down.

"I can't." I said suddenly. "I can't. I told Jeff he could be here when I met him." Aunt Marylyn was about to say something, but was cut off by someone running up to us.

"Hey Riley, Dad told us your dad showed up early. He said I could come down with ya, if it's okay with you two." Jeff said. Uncle Paul chuckled and smiled.

"You can stay Jeff." Aunt Marylyn said with a smile of her own.

"YAY!" I yelled throwing my arms around Jeff's neck. Now I wasn't as scared as I thought. My heart was still beating fast, but I knew I could face it now that Jeff was by my side.

"Let's go." Jeff said, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the front door. I stumbled along behind him, looking back to my aunt and uncle. They were following behind me really slowly. I looked back at the front door and seen a man standing there, staring at me. I suddenly became so nervous I nearly tripped over my own feet. He was tall, like Aunt Mary said. Way taller than my uncle or Jeff's father. His hair was long and he had a beard. Even from the distance I seen he looked like me. He had my nose, the shape my eyes, and even my arms and legs.

"Riley?" Jeff's voice asked. I blinked and looked at him. He was ahead of me. I didn't realize I had stopped moving. "Are you okay?" he asked. I nodded, looking back up to the man who was my father. He didn't look old at all. He looked a lot younger than Uncle Paul and he definitely looked younger than Mr. Hardy.

"Riley?" he said, walking down the front stairs. I automatically started moving toward him, my feet kicking dirt up into the air. The man, my father, kneeled in front of me and grabbed my arms gently. He ran his hands over my hair, then my shoulders. This close, I finally noticed he had green eyes, the same color as mine and Uncle Paul's.

"Daddy." I whispered, my eyes feeling bigger than normal.

* * *

><p>AN: Wow, thanks everyone for the reviews already. :) It really means a lot to me. So, yeah the chapters aren't the way they were before, but oh well. New postings means changes anywhere. LOL So yeah, thanks again, and the next will be coming as soon as I edit it. XD


	3. Chapter 3

Suddenly, Daddy smiled as he stood up, picking me up with him. I couldn't help but laugh as he spun me around in a strong hug.

"Riley." he said. He looked over to his brother and sister-in-law, smiling the biggest smile I have ever seen on anyone. I looked down at Jeff and seen tears in his eyes, which I thought was kinda funny. I kicked myself from my father's arms and ran up to my best friend, grabbing his hand and dragging him closer to my Daddy.

"Daddy, this is my best friend Jeff." I said. Dad looked down at Jeff, who looked nervous all of a sudden.

"Nice to meet you Jeff." Daddy said, holding out his hand. Jeff put his own hand up, but then put it back down, and put it back up again before taking my father's much larger hand.

"Nice to m-meet you sir." Jeff said.

"Call me Mark." Daddy replied with a smile and a wink. Jeff relaxed slightly. Daddy winked at me then turned to go talk to my uncle.

"You looked more nervous than me." I said to Jeff with a giggle.

"I think I was." he admitted. I laughed and touched his arm with my hand.

"You're it!" I shouted, running away from him. He stared at me before smiling and chasing me.

"You can never get away from me." he said as he ran. I laughed and ran harder. Sure enough a couple minutes later I felt his hand on my back, tagging me back.

"Riley, Jeff, come on let's go inside." Aunt Marylyn called.

"You know you're still it." Jeff said, running toward the house. I laughed and chased him, catching up to him and tagging him back.

"No tag backs!" I said.

"That's no fair!" Jeff whined as a laugh came from in front of us. We looked up to see my father watching us, a sparkle in his eyes.

"So, spring break?" he asked, referring to school. Jeff and I both shook our heads yes.

"Daddy, Uncle Paul said you were a wrestler. What's that?" I asked him, anxious to hear what that was. Jeff seemed interested as well, though he tried to make it seem like he wasn't.

"A wrestler?" he asked, looking up at his brother. "Well, that is a person who fights other people." he said. He laughed at the look that must have been on mine and Jeff's faces. "I'll have to show you two for you to really understand it." he said.

"No thanks. Sounds dangerous." Jeff said.

"Since when did that stop you?" I asked. He stuck his tongue out at me before jumping up and running toward the back hallway. Toward my bedroom.

"Jeff!" I shouted, running to catch up with him.

"No running in the house!" Aunt Marylyn called. Jeff and I both slowed down. He got to my bedroom door first, but I was able to slip past him and get into the room before he could. He slammed the door shut and turned the light on.

"No slamming the door either!" Uncle Paul's voice called. Jeff and I both laughed as I sat down on my bed. Jeff sat on the chair by my desk.

"So what do you think of my daddy?" I asked Jeff, watching him grab a marker from my crayon box and start to draw on a sheet of paper.

"Looks like you." he said. "Seems nice too."

"Yeah." I said, looking out my window into the woods behind the house.

"Riley, I heard my dad and your uncle talking about him a couple days ago. Your uncle said your dad lived in Texas." Jeff said suddenly, putting the marker down on the desk.

"Texas?" I asked, trying to remember the map mine and Jeff's teacher showed us. Texas was the biggest one connected to the other states. That was far away from here.

"I was just thinking, what if you dad wanted you to move in with him?" Jeff said. I didn't think about that.

"I don't know." I said. "If I move with him, then I lose you, Matt and Mr. Hardy. If I do move though, I'll finally have my daddy."

"I know." Jeff said. "That's why I wanted to talk about it. I don't want to lose my best friend, but I want you to be happy."

"I know." I said, looking down at the floor. "This sucks."

"You can say that again." Jeff said, standing up from the chair to sit on the bed beside me. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders in a little hug. "Here, I just drew this so you won't forget about me if you do have to move." he said, handing me the paper. It was a huge purple and pink heart. On the side of the heart it said "Jeff and Riley together forever." Tears filled my eyes as I took the paper and hugged him fiercely. I stared at the heart for a long time, thinking about what would happen if I did lose my best friend. What would happen to me. What would happen to him. So many questions, and only time could give me answers.

The next day I didn't want to see my father. No matter how much I wanted to see him before, I really didn't want to now because I was scared that he would ask me to move with him. Jeff left right after we talked about it, leaving me to think about everything. I really didn't want to leave here, but I wanted to be with my father just as much.

I was sitting in my room, thinking things over more when someone knocked on my door. Before I could respond Aunt Marylyn walked in.

"Riley, honey way are you in here. Your dad's out here wondering about you." she said, sitting next to me on the bed.

"I'm sorry Aunt Mary." was all I could say. She stood up to walk back out to the living room or kitchen when I suddenly looked up.

"Aunt Mary, can I ask you something?" I said when she reached my door. She turned and sat back down.

"Of coarse you can sweetie. What's wrong?" She asked gently, her arm going around my shoulders.

"Jeff told me he heard his dad and Uncle Paul talking about Daddy. He said that they said he lived in Texas."

"Yes he does." Aunt Marylyn said. "That's where your Uncle is from too."

"Will Daddy have me move in with him?" I asked her. She looked shocked by my question, but smiled.

"No Riley. Your Dad, your Uncle and I all talked about it before and we decided it would be best if you stayed here. You have your friends here and your father's on the road a lot with his job, so he won't be able to be with you as much as he needs to be. So no, you're staying here as long as you want."

"What about daddy?" I asked. "Will I still see him?"

"I'll be around." a voice said from my door. I looked up and seen it was Daddy. "I'll be around so much you'll get tired of seeing me. I have 9 years to make up for, so I better get started on that hadn't I?"

"I know it's not you're fault." I said. "Mommy didn't tell you about me."

"She couldn't tell me about you." Daddy said. "She didn't know how to get a hold of me to tell me about you." Daddy sat down on my other side. "You're aunt's right though. I will be on the move a lot, so it really is better that you stay here. You tell Jeff he has nothing to worry about."

"Can I go see him?" I asked Aunt Marylyn.

"While Mark is here that's for him to decide." she replied. I looked up at my Dad, who nodded. I jumped up and kissed him on the cheek then ran from the room. I ran all the way down to Jeff's house. Running up the front steps, I seen the door open and Mr. Hardy was walking out of the house.

"Hello Mr. Hardy." I said. He looked down and smiled when he saw it was me.

"Well, good morning Ms. Mitchell." he said, bowing slightly. I laughed and gave him a hug.

"Where's Jeff?" I asked him.

"Somewhere around here." Mr. Hardy answered. I nodded and knew exactly where Jeff was. Our favorite tree. I thanked him and turned and ran straight for the tree. There he was close to the very top. I started climbing up, my foot slipping once from my shoe being a little wet from the ground

. I was about a foot away from him when he noticed me.

"Hey Jeff!" I called. "I got some good news!"

"You moving in with your dad?" he asked, so sadly I couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Nope." I answered. "I just asked Aunt Marylyn and she said her, Daddy, and Uncle Paul talked about it. She said they thought it would be better for me to stay here."

"Really?" he asked, looking hopeful. When I nodded he climbed down to where I was standing on a branch.

"So you're staying?" He asked again. I nodded, smiling at the happy look on his face.

"YAY!" he yelled. "I keep my friend!" I laughed as the tree branch began shaking. Suddenly I heard a crack.

"Jeff, stop bouncing. I think the branch is going to break." I said, scared. Jeff stopped jumping at once. He looked at the branch at the same time I did and sure enough, there was a tiny crack in the bark from Jeff jumping on it.

"Let's get down." Jeff said. I nodded and started climbing down. The minute we were on the ground, Jeff gave me an extra hard hug.

"Daddy said he's going to be around here a lot." I said. "He said he had 9 years to make up for."

"Well, what's he going to do?" Jeff asked, sitting down on the ground with his back against the tree.

"I don't know." I said, sitting next to him. "He just said he needed to make up for the time. Maybe he'll let you come along as well!" I said excitedly.

"I don't know. That's your time with your father Riley, I'll just be getting in the way." Jeff said, pulling a piece of grass from the ground.

"No you won't. He knows you're my best friend." I tired saying.

"I'll be in the way Ri, you have fun with your Dad. Get to know him better."

"I wish you would go to, even if it's just a few times." I said, pulling my knees up to my chest and hugging them.

"I will." Jeff said. "I promise, every once in a while. But most of it has to be just you and him."

"Ok." I said.


	4. Chapter 4

The weekend passed quickly. Soon Dad had to go back to Texas, but he promised to come back as soon as he could and to my surprise, he did. A month after school started back up I got home from the bus stop to find Dad's car in the driveway. I ran into the house and found him sitting in the living room.

"Daddy!" I shouted, dropping my bag and running up to him. He turned and gave me a huge smile before giving me the same strong armed hug he gave me the first day I seen him.

"How was school today?" he asked me as I walked back to the front door to drag my book bag into the living room. I had to do my homework or Aunt Mary would be mad and I would be grounded.

"Hard." I answered. "We're working on multi-multiplecation in math."

"Multiplication?" Dad asked. I nodded and showed him the worksheet my teacher gave me for the night.

"I'm okay with single, but double is hard." I said.

"Well, here all you have to do is this." he said before showing me. I watched him do an example, but still didn't get it. The look on my face probably told him I didn't get it as well because he looked thoughtful for a minute before starting a new problem.

"Okay," he said. "How do you think it needs to be done?" I grabbed the pencil and showed him how I did the work, just like you do when you add numbers together.

"Okay, you're starting out good. That is how you start." Daddy said. "But instead of going to the next number on the bottom, you have to stay with the other number. Like say you have 34 or something, and want to multiply it by 11. You do the 1 and 4 first, but instead of going to the next 1, you need to stay with the 1 you started with." I tried and waited for him to continue. "Then you do the same thing again, except this time you have to add a zero at the end of the second line down here. Add a zero," I did, "then go 1 times 4 then 1 times 3 again. So now you have a 34 in the first line and 340 in the second line. Now you jut add those together and see what you get."

"374?" I asked after adding. Daddy nodded.

"Now try it with a problem on your paper." he said. I did a problem just the way he told me, and after I finished the it, I held it up for him to see.

"Exactly." he said. "You see, it's not that hard." I smiled and started on another problem when something I wanted to ask my dad came into my mind.

"Daddy, how old are you?" I asked him without thinking.

"Why do you want to know that?" he asked me back.

"A bunch of kids was talking about how old their parents are and they asked me. I said I didn't know." I explained. I didn't tell him that Jeff was the only one who didn't laugh at my answer because he knew the truth.

"Oh," Dad said. He sighed and thought for a minute.

"I'm 24 sweetie." he finally answered.

"Really?" I asked. "How are you 24? Jeff's dad's in his 30s and so is Clarissa's Dad."

"I'll tell you when you're older." He said. "I'm 24 right now baby, that's all you need to know."

"Okay," I said, understanding it was an "adult thing." I finished working on my homework with Daddy helping me every so often.

"Let's go play!" I said as I dragged my book bag into my room. I heard the front door open and close. I ran into the room and seen Aunt Marylyn taking off her coat.

"Aunt Mary!" I yelled, running up and giving her a hug.

"Hey Riley, there's something I need to talk to your Aunt about. I'll play with you in a minute." Dad said. I nodded and went back to my bedroom, leaving my door open slightly so I could hear them.

"So what did you need to talk to me about Mark?" Aunt Marylyn's voice asked. I listened closely to hear what Daddy would say.

"I have to go back to Texas soon." he said. "I'm still working on my courses, but I don't want to leave her again. I'm still trying to make up for the years I missed."

"Well," Aunt Marylyn said. "Take her to Texas with you for a while."

"I can't do that Mary, you know I can't." Dad's voice said back. "I can't just take her out of school and what about her friend Jeff? Those two are as inseparable as peanut butter and jelly."

"That says they go together like peanut butter and jelly, not that they're as inseparable as it. I know what you mean though. What do you want to do then? You can't transfer out here because you have your wrestling as well."

"I know. I guess I'll just have to leave her here again. Or cut myself out of her life until things get more stable."

"You can't do that Mark. You don't know how long that little girl's been waiting for you."

"9 years Marylyn. I know. I might not have a choice. If I get closer to her now, I might not be able to let her go the way I did before. Do you know I helped her with her homework when she got home. That was the major kick right there. I was sitting there, helping my daughter with her homework, and she's a brilliant little girl. She's so smart and mature, it's unreal."

"She's had a hard life Mark and if you walk out on her without any type of contact now you'll just make it harder for her."

"I know, but how hard do you think it will be when she gets her father, but he leaves and comes right back over and over again? It will be just until I finish school Mary. One year max." I had heard enough. I grabbed my coat off my bed and threw it over my shoulders, taking the time to zip it up. I ran from my room and through the living room.

"Riley?" Dad's voice asked. I didn't answer him. I just stormed out of the door. I was about half way across the yard when I heard the front door open. I didn't turn to see who it was, I knew it was my Dad.

"Riley, what's wrong?" he asked, catching up to me. I looked up at him, tears staining my cheeks. He looked shocked. He didn't say anything as I started walking again, finally full out running. I ran to the Hardy's property, finding mine and Jeff's favorite tree and climbing it.

"Riley!" I heard Dad's voice call. "Riley Michelle!" I didn't move. I was sobbing so hard my chest was hurting. Dad was going to leave me again, but for good this time. Just like mom, except mom died when she left. He was going away alive, probably because he decided he didn't want me.

"Riley Michelle Mitchell get over here now!" Dad's voice called again. I still didn't say anything.

"Excuse me?" A familiar voice said. Mr. Hardy. I froze, he knew about this tree. He knew I might be up here. I looked and seen Jeff standing beside him, staring straight up at me. I shook my head no, saying I didn't want to be found.

"I don't believe Riley's here." Mr. Hardy continued. "If she is though there's a tree her and Jeff normally climb…" Mr. Hardy looked down to Jeff.

"It's a few yards that way." Jeff said. I breathed a sigh of relief. Jeff was going to help me. He acted like he found the tree and looked up. "She's not up there." he said. Dad said a bad word and hung his head.

"You see her, tell her I need to talk to her." Dad said to Jeff. Jeff nodded his agreement. Dad left and Mr. Hardy went back to the house. Jeff remained and started climbing the tree I was in.

"So are you going to tell me what that was about?" Jeff asked, sitting next to me. I put my head on his shoulder and cried as I told him what I overheard.

"He was going to leave for a year?" Jeff asked. "Just a year?"

"What if wasn't just a year." I asked. "What if he was going to leave forever?"

"He wouldn't do that Ri." Jeff said. "He wouldn't. He loves you too much already. He wanted to make up the time he missed with you, but it sounded like his life is a little crazy right now." I nodded, seeing he was right.

"But it still hurts." I said. Jeff patted my shoulder until my crying stopped.

"Are you going to go talk to him?" Jeff asked when I lifted my head. I nodded and looked up at him.

"I'm going to be in trouble for running away you know that right? I'll be grounded and can only see you at school."

"How many times have we both been grounded but still seen each other?" Jeff asked. He had a point. We both climbed down the tree onto the soggy ground. I didn't realize it had snowed or rained. It seemed sunny for a while.

"Good luck." Jeff said, turning back to walk to his own house. I waved bye to him and started walking up the road. The normal short walk seemed longer. I walked up the front steps and took a deep breath before opening the front door. I was immediately grabbed by Aunt Marylyn who gave me a bone breaking hug, but her hug was nothing compared to Daddy's hug. The normal strength his hugs had seemed to increase.

"Riley Michelle Mitchell if you ever scare me like that again…" Daddy said, pulling back then hugging me again.

"I'm sorry, but I heard what you and Aunt Mary was talking about. Why do you want to leave me Daddy?"

"I don't want to baby, but I'll have to soon." he replied.

"Forever?" I asked. He froze and turned to Aunt Marylyn. She raised her shoulders and walked away.

"No sweetie, not forever." Daddy answered. "But maybe for a while. A year or two. Daddy's…you see, I'm still in school honey. I'm in college still. I graduate next year. Plus I'm doing my wrestling thing. My life's crazy right now. I don't want to have to keep coming over just to visit you. I want to actually be able to see you for longer than two days at a time."

"So you have to go away to be able to do that?" I asked sadly. Dad nodded.

"Unfortunately, I think that's the best thing to do." he said. I nodded, showing I understood.

"What did you mean I was m-mature?' I asked.

"Mature? It means you know things some other people might not know. You understand a lot more things then most kids your age do, and your aunt, again, was right. It's because you've had a hard life. You lost your mother, you went without me for a long time, but no matter how smart or mature you are, you'll always be my little girl." I smiled and wrapped my arms around his huge neck.

"So, how about we play that game?" Dad asked. I nodded and jumped on Daddy's back. He grabbed my legs and piggy backed me into the living room.

"Daddy, will you show me what wrestling is?" I asked suddenly.

"Sure." He said, before picking me up and tossing me onto the couch. "That was called a scoop slam." he said, tickling my sides making me shriek with laughter.

"Will you teach me how to do it?" I asked him.

"I don't think your aunt will like that too much." he said. "Maybe when you're older."

"Okay." I said, truly happy to hear that answer for once.

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><p>AN: Update! Thank you everyone for the reviews. Love them all. XD Sorry it's taking a while to update when I'm just editing and posting. A lot on my mind right now. haha anyway, thank you all, and more will be coming soon.


	5. Chapter 5

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" crowds of people shouted. I blushed as Jeff waved to people. He was the attention lover. I just stood by him and tried to stay invisible.

"We're officially teenagers Riley!" Jeff shouted, wrapping his arm around my head.

"13." I said nodding as soon as he let go. I looked into the crowd, barely able to believe that so many people had showed up. Most of them were mine and Jeff's friends from school. Jeff's dad, Mr. Hardy, was standing beside Jeff's older brother Matt. A few feet away from them was my dad, my uncle Paul and my Aunt Marylyn.

"Okay," our friend Ron said. "Every year we celebrate your birthdays together, so, which of you is officially older?"

"I am." Jeff said proudly.

"Yeah, by mere hours." I said. Ron laughed while Jeff looked beat down, which made me laugh.

"Riley!" I heard my dad's voice call. I turned and seen him walking toward me.

"Riley, I'm sorry honey, but I have to go. I have work to do at home." Dad said. I was slightly hurt, but nodded in understanding.

"Okay Dad. Thanks for coming for my birthday." I said. He smiled and kissed my cheek. "I wouldn't have missed this day for the world," he whispered. Quickly, he left the party, which was at the Hardy's house, and walked up the road toward my house.

"Riley, are you okay?" Jeff asked behind me. I looked up at him and nodded.

"Come on, let's go back to the party." I said. Thankfully, Aunt Marylyn decided I was old enough to dress myself now, so I wasn't wearing a dress or skirt or anything. Just a plain pair of jeans and a white T-Shirt. Jeff, coincidentally, was wearing the same thing. The difference was he was wearing his baseball cap.

"So, how's your swing coming along?" Ron asked Jeff. I tuned them out and went to go find my aunt and uncle. They were talking baseball again. Of coarse Jeff couldn't go a day without talking about it, considering he wants to be a professional player when he grew up.

"Hey are you getting the pay-per-view tonight?" Uncle Paul was asking Mr. Hardy.

"You know it." Mr. Hardy answered. "Well, hello there Riley. Where's your other half?" It was a running joke around here. They said Jeff and I were each others shadows or half of Siamese twins.

"Over there talking baseball." I said, pointing in the direction I just came from.

"Okay, well I better go get him then. He needs to start telling his other friends that he'll see them later." I watched as Mr. Hardy left and walked up to Jeff.

"Hey Riley." a voice behind me said. I turned and seen Matt standing behind me. "Happy birthday kid." he said.

"I'm not a kid anymore." I said, smiling. This was mine and his thing, pick on each other just like a brother and sister, which we basically were.

"Not technically, but you're still kid enough for me to consider you one." Matt said.

"Oh wow, big 15 year old picking on a 13 year old." I said.

"Hey, I'll be 16 in a few weeks." Matt said. "Don't forget my birthday's only 22 days after yours."

"Sorry, can't help but forget." I said. Matt gave me a playful glare, but was distracted by Jeff bouncing up to us.

"August 31, 1990 is the best day of my life." Jeff said, putting his arm around my shoulders and leaning on me. "September 1 for you." he said.

"Yeah yeah." I said back. "It's getting a little late isn't it?" I asked, looking down at the watch my aunt had just bought me for my birthday.

"Not really." Matt answered. "Of coarse I do have a later curfew than the two of you still." He laughed and walked away.

"Punk." Jeff whispered under his breath. I just shook my head, knowing that besides me, Matt was Jeff's best friend. When you live in the area we do, all you really have are the people around you.

"Before you go Riley, I want to show you something." Jeff said, grabbing my hand and leading me towards the woods. He didn't stop walking until we were well hidden in the trees.

"Happy birthday Riley." Jeff said, handing me a wrapped box.

"I thought we weren't giving each other anything." I said, staring at the bright purple and green paper.

"We said we weren't, but I wanted to give this to you anyway." Jeff said, placing the box in my hand.

"I didn't get you anything." I said uncertainly.

"I didn't buy this, I made it." he said. I looked at him before slowly ripping at the paper. Inside was a very old jewelry case.

"Open it." Jeff said. I opened it and inside the case were two beaded bracelets. One was the same color as the paper, purple and green. The other was blue and orange. The purple and green one said "best" while the blue and orange one said "friends."

"Jeff, they're beautiful." I said, staring at them. Jeff smiled and grabbed the purple and green one and placed it on my left wrist. I was very still as he gently tied it.

"Let me guess, this one is for you?" I asked, holding up the blue and orange one. He nodded and held out his right wrist, allowing me to tie the bracelet. He held my left hand with his right one to where the bracelets read out "Best Friends."

"I love it Jeff. Thank you." I said, giving him a hug. He smiled and the two of us started walking back toward the house together. I looked up and realized it was nearly dark.

"We should hurry up and get back to the house." Jeff said as he started walking faster.

"You're not gonna get us lost are you?" I asked playfully. He snickered and kept walking. Soon enough we were standing at the edge of the woods, looking into his backyard.

"Did we get lost?" he asked me. I jabbed his ribs and started running toward my uncle.

"Help me Uncle Paul. He wants to eat my brain!" I cried, hiding behind my uncle. Uncle Paul just laughed and tried to move out of the way, but I had my arms wrapped around his waist.

"Who's eating whose brain?" Matt asked behind Jeff.

"I guess I am." Jeff replied, trying to get passed my uncle to get to me. Out of nowhere I felt a pair of strong hands grab me.

"Here you go Jeff." Matt's voice said from somewhere behind me.

"No, he's a brain eater!" I yelled, laughing as Matt pinned me to the ground. Jeff jumped on top of me, straddling my stomach. He tickled my sides, not stopping until his Dad told him to let me up before I had a stroke. I sat on the ground for a minute catching my breath. Soon it was time for me and Uncle Paul to head home. Aunt Marylyn had already left.

"Hey Uncle Paul, can Jeff stay the night?" I asked before leaving.

"I don't think that'll be a good idea." Uncle Paul said looking at Mr. Hardy.

"Why not?" I asked, looking between them. Jeff looked confused as well.

"We have something to do tomorrow." Uncle Paul said.

"What?" I asked.

"Let's just head home." Uncle Paul said. I nodded and turned to look at Jeff. He looked disappointed as well. We said bye to the Hardys and left, walking home in silence. We walked up to our house and I seen my father's car still in the driveway. Surprised I walked into the house and seen him sitting at the kitchen table with Aunt Marylyn.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" I asked, sitting next to him. "I thought you had to work."

"No, something came up here." he said. "My daughter just turned 13." he said. "Plus I just learned my contract is running out and the company isn't going to renew it. So after November I'm out of work."

"You are?" I asked him. He nodded.

"Not unless I can get signed by someone else." Dad said. "The contract is officially up, I just have to finish this feud out."

"Where are you going to go?" Uncle Paul asked Dad. Dad just shrugged.

"Maybe to that one guy I told you about. He's still got his offer." Dad said. I didn't know who they were talking about, and didn't really care.

"Aunt Mary, how come Jeff can't stay the night tonight?" I asked. Dad froze and Uncle Paul looked nervous.

"You men. She's 13, she needs to hear this some time." Aunt Marylyn said. "Here we'll go talk in your room so these men won't have to hear anything." I followed Aunt Marylyn into my bedroom.

"Okay Riley, you're 13 now. So you're body's going to be going through some changes."

"Like what?" I asked, honestly curious. I wanted to know what was going to happen to my body.

"Well, you'll get a lot taller for one." Aunt Marylyn said. "And you'll be becoming more developed. You'll understand what that means when it starts. Also, you'll be starting to, uhm, well." for some reason she started getting really nervous then. "How to put this." Aunt Marylyn mumbled under her breath. "You'll be getting monthly visits from mother nature." she said finally. "I'll tell you more about those when they start okay honey?" I nodded.

"Well, get some sleep." Aunt Marylyn said. She left the room just as Dad walked in.

"Was that more uncomfortable for her or for you?" he asked, shutting the door behind him.

"Her I think. I don't even understand what she was talking about." I answered honestly.

"You will, soon." Dad said. "What she was trying to explain Riley is that you're body is going to start getting ready for adulthood. It's called puberty."

"Oh, I heard that word before in health class. That's all she had to say. I know what she's talking about now." I said. Dad laughed.

"I can't wait to see her face when I tell her that." Dad said. "Well, go ahead and get some sleep sweetie. I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight Dad." I said, giving him a hug and kiss on the cheek.

"Night baby." He said. He stood up and left the room. I had just changed into my night clothes when I heard the phone ring.

"Riley! It's Jeff!" Dad's voice called. I quickly ran into the living room and grabbed the phone from him.

"Hey Jeff." I said.

"Hey Riley." his voice replied. "I just wanted to say goodnight."

"Oh okay. Goodnight Jeff." I said.

"Did you find out why I wasn't able to stay over?" he asked.

"Something about puberty." I said just as Aunt Marylyn walked by me. She gave me a shocked looked and turned to Dad, who I seen was trying to hold back a laugh.

"Well, I got to get off here. I'll see you tomorrow." Jeff said.

"Goodnight Jeff. See you tomorrow." I said before hanging up. "I'm going to bed." I told my family.

"Night." They all said. I walked back into my bedroom and shut the door and light off. Crawling into bed, I played with the beaded bracelet still on my left wrist, wondering exactly what Jeff was doing then as well. Rolling over, I turned and faced the wall, shutting my eyes and letting myself get pulled into sleep.

* * *

><p>AN: So, putting off an assignment to update this. LOL I needed a break from the school work anyway and this was ready, so I just decided to add it. :) Thank you for all the reviews. Love all of you for leaving them. More will be coming soon, and a big reveal should be coming up in the next few chapters, so stay tuned. :)


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning I woke up expecting Dad to be gone, but after I changed clothes for the day and walked into the living room for breakfast, I found Dad sitting alone at the kitchen table, the phone pressed to his ear. He looked up as I walked in and held up a finger to his lips, telling me to keep quiet. I nodded and quietly opened a cabinet door, reaching for a box of cereal. After grabbing my bowl, spoon and milk I sat down at the table beside him, filling the bowl with cereal.

"Uh huh." Dad said into the phone. "Okay. Okay I'll be there. Thank you. Bye." He stood up and hung up the phone.

"What's up dad?" I asked, pouring the milk into my bowl and filling my spoon with cereal.

"Nothing honey. Nothing at all." Dad said, smacking his hand with rolled up papers. I rolled my eyes and finished eating my cereal. After cleaning up my bowl and spoon and putting them away, I walked into the living room and sat down next to Dad.

"Things are going to be getting better sweetie." Dad said, putting his arm around my shoulders. "I can feel it." I didn't know what he meant, but I knew I was excited about it. Hopefully that meant that soon me and Dad could be a regular family, but I was also kind of doubting it at the same time.

-"Come on Riley hurry up!" Jeff called from somewhere in front of me. I huffed and puffed as I tried to catch up to him.

"Where are you?" I called out, feeling a stitch in my side.

"Just up ahead of you!" Jeff called back. I growled and started moving again, this time walking.

"This isn't funny Jeff!" I shouted, feeling a little scared. "You know I get lost easily!"

"Come on Riley, I'm right here!" Jeff's voice shouted.

"I don't see you!" I yelled, starting to feel the panic rising inside of me. When he didn't reply the panic grew more.

"Jeff!" I called. He didn't answer. "Jeffrey!" I tried again. Still no answer. I sat down on the ground, scared and panicking as I brought my knees to my chest, wrapping my arms around my legs. "Jeffrey Nero Hardy tell me where you are now!" I screamed almost hysterically. He still didn't answer. I stood up and started walking forward again, the way he wanted me to walk with him.

"Riley!" I heard a voice say. "Riley wake up!"

I groaned, still trying to find Jeff in the woods.

"Wake up Riley I'm right here." the voice said again. As I slowly began to wake up, I realized the voice was Jeff's.

"Jeff, where are you?" I asked, not sure if I was still in my dream or awake.

"I'm right here Riley. I'm here." he said, grabbing my hand. I wasn't dreaming, he was really there. With a cry I sat up, not realizing I was in my bed and covered in sweat, and wrapped my arms around him tightly.

"Are you okay? Bad dream?" Jeff asked, hugging me back and trying to comfort me. He didn't realize it was comfort enough to know he was here.

"Y-yes." I said, swallowing thickly. "W-we were in the woods around your house and you d-disa-appeard. I called for you and you kept saying you was just a little bit ahead, but soon you were g-gone completely and I couldn't find you and I was so scared." I nearly started hyperventilating and was rambling now.

"Hey hey, I'm not going anywhere." Jeff said, rubbing my back. "It must be the cold or whatever your dad thinks you have making you hallucinate."

"Cold?" I asked, sniffling my nose.

"Yeah he said you woke up and ate, but then you fell right back asleep on the couch. He said you was burning up with a fever and was really pale. He brought you in here to rest, but it doesn't look like that's happening." He smiled at my weak laugh.

"I'm sorry." I said. "I don't know what came over me." I tried standing up, but was held down by Jeff's hand on my shoulder.

"Sorry, no can do there Riley. Your aunt gave us all strict orders to keep you in bed. She's thinking it a flu bug. I'm not to sure though. I just know your sick and that's enough for me. Stay in bed. You have a waiter right here. Anything you need, don't hesitate to ask. Except going to the bathroom that's all you." I laughed weakly again, feeling my energy give out again.

"Okay fine, tell Aunt Mary she wins." I said, laying back against my pillow and letting my eyes shut. Within seconds I was asleep again.

"You coming over tonight?" Jeff asked me standing at his locker, which was right beside mine.

"I guess, why?" I replied, putting a book in my own locker and grabbing my jacket. It was time to head home, but instead of hanging out like we usually did, Matt was picking Jeff up for something and I was riding the bus home. They offered me a ride, but I didn't want to cause them trouble and I knew they were probably going to be busy.

"Just wondering. Dad's getting a pay-per-view tonight that's supposed to be awesome. Your uncle and aunt is going to be there so he told me to tell you that you can come as well."

"Well, that's nice of him." I said, meaning it. If it was something him and Uncle Paul did, it normally stayed between the two of them.

"Yeah, well I guess things are different this time." Jeff said, slamming his locker shut and leaning against it.

"Sounds like it." I said, shutting my locker a little less noisily and turning to face him. He pushed himself off the locker and started walking toward the front doors, me right beside him.

"Are you sure you don't want to ride with me and Matt?" Jeff asked as we walked through the parking lot toward the bus.

"Yeah, it sounds like you guys are going somewhere important and I don't want to be any trouble." I said, stopping outside the bus. It wasn't the only one, but there were only 4 to take virtually the whole school home. This was just the bus Jeff and I rode on an everyday basis, except when Matt decided to be nice and pick us up to take us home. Otherwise we were the next to last people off.

"It's not that important, at least I don't think." Jeff said, looking through the parking lot toward his brother. "But knowing Matt, it's hard to tell."

"Tell me about it." I said, rolling my eyes.

"Well, I'll see you tonight then." Jeff said just as the bus engine started revving, signaling the driver was ready to go.

"See you later." I said, turning and climbing up the bus steps. The bus, like normal, was filled with immature high school students throwing things at each other, like paper balls and pencils. I've long learned to keep my head low while riding.

"Hey Riley." a kid said from a seat, the only seat not taken. It was Ron, Jeff's baseball buddy.

"Hi Ron." I said, sitting next to him. I couldn't help but be tense around him, he gave me the creeps.

"Where's Jeff?" he asked, looking around the bus. "I would of moved so you two could sit with each other like you always do."

"Matt gave him a ride home." I said.

"You didn't go?" he asked, shocked.

"They were going somewhere first." I replied, sitting as far as I could from him.

"So, Jeff's really not here?" Ron asked. I tensed even more, not really liking the tone he was using. The bus was still sitting in the parking lot of the school, as was Matt's car.

"No, he's not on here." I replied, looking around for another empty seat. There wasn't one. If I moved I'd have to move to a seat that was already full, and I wasn't close enough to anyone to do something like that except if it was with Jeff and Matt. The bus was still stalling and I was about to ask why we weren't moving when I felt a hand on my thigh. I jumped and turned to see it was Ron's hand.

"Get off me." I said, throwing his hand off my leg. He just smiled and placed it back on my thigh, squeezing it.

"Playing hard to get?" Ron asked, moving his hand further up, causing me to feel really uncomfortable. I grabbed his hand and threw it off my leg again, but he put his right back on there again, this time further up. His smirk widened as I squirmed away from him, but he refused to move his hand. Finally, I just grabbed my book bag and seen that, thankfully and surprisingly, Matt and Jeff was still sitting in the parking lot. I stood up and walked toward the front of the bus.

"I'm getting off." I told the driver. "I'll walk home." The driver just shrugged and let me off. Instead of walking toward home however, which would have been an hour walk, I crossed the parking lot to Matt's car. I knocked on Matt's window just as Jeff opened his door and got out of the car.

"What's going on Riley?" He asked.

"Is that ride still opened?" I asked him, not being able to stop my voice from quivering. Jeff looked into the car at Matt.

"Watch out." Jeff said. I moved back as Matt opened his car door.

"Yeah you can still get a ride, but why the sudden change of mind?" Matt asked, looking concerned.

"I-the bus is really crowded. Like everyone showed up today." I said quickly, though I know I didn't sound convincing.

"Give it up Riley, you've been a terrible liar since we've met you. Know tell us what's goin' on?" Jeff said, walking around the car and grabbing my hand. "You're crying." he said. I reached up and felt my cheeks and sure enough, they were wet from tears I didn't realize I cried.

"I-it was Ron." I said finally. "He was asking questions about you Jeff. Wondering why you weren't on the bus and everything else. When I said you wasn't riding, he started talking differently. It was almost, evil. I don't know. Anyway, after asking that you really wasn't on the bus today he-he…" I started stammering.

"What did he do Riley?" Jeff asked fiercely. A revving noise behind us told us that the bus was starting to move. Sure enough when I looked around all I seen was the back of the bus.

"He, grabbed me." I finished finally. "Right here." I pointed to my thigh, "on my thigh. I told him to stop touching me, but he kept touching me. No matter how many times I told him to stop he wouldn't." I looked at Jeff and froze at the look on his face.

"Matt, drive me to his house." Jeff said after a minute.

"No Jeff," I said. Matt looked shocked at his brother.

"Yeah Jeff, no." Matt said.

"Drive me over there or I'll walk over there." Jeff said.

"Jeff, it wasn't that big a deal…" I started saying. He turned to me with pure rage in his eyes.

"Not that big a deal!" he exploded. "It sure as hell is a big deal! Do you know what that's called Riley, when someone puts their hands somewhere inappropriate even when they're told not to?' at my blank look, he continued. "It's sexual harassment Riley! He harassed you and you're saying it's no big deal."

"It really isn't." I said, flustered.

"Think about it Riley, if he's able to do that to you right now, what might he do later?"

"He thought I was playing hard to get." I said, trying to think of a way to calm Jeff down. "Look, I'll go back into the school and talk to the principle, but just don't do anything stupid."

"Too late." Jeff said, walking toward the street.

"Jeff!" Matt and I both shouted together.

"Get in the car." Matt snapped at me. I got into the backseat and watched Matt run to catch up with Jeff. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I knew Jeff. He had something in his mind, and he wanted it done. Even if he had to wait until tomorrow morning, he would do what he set out to do. I felt tears running down my cheeks again, realizing I was getting Jeff into big trouble. I should have stayed on the bus.

Jeff and Matt walked back to the car, but I had already made up my mind. It was stupid of me to come to them. I should have realized that Jeff would lose it like this.

"Riley," Jeff's voice broke through my thoughts.

"I'm sorry." I said, getting out of the car and running toward the street.

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><p>AN: So, update. Thanks everyone for the reviews. Now, I know it's going to be no secret what the PPV is, so I will say this, I didn't think about the days of the week when I wrote this, but it turns out pretty good, so I decided to leave it. So, thanks again. Until next time. :)


	7. Chapter 7

"Hey!" Matt and Jeff both shouted. I heard them running behind me, but didn't slow down, even though I knew they'd eventually catch up to me.

"Hey, what do you mean you're sorry?" Matt asked. "It's not your fault that prick did that to you."

"I told you guys." I said. "I should of just stayed on the bus. I'm sorry. I'm going to get Jeff in trouble now."

"No you're not. I'm getting myself in trouble." Jeff said, grabbing my shoulder and turning me to face him.

"Jeff's not getting in trouble because Jeff's not going to do anything." Matt said, running his hand through his flat topped style hair.

"Matt, you know Jeff better than I do. He's so stubborn he won't listen. He'll do what's in his mind and that's it. No questions asked." Jeff looked stunned, but didn't say anything. "You know it's true Jeff! Even if you don't do anything today, you'll do something tomorrow or sometime soon."

"Jeff, just let Riley tell Mr. Carter." Matt said. "I know Carter, he'll do something about it."

"I'm still having a talk with Weston though." Jeff said finally. "I'm not going to do anything stupid Riley, I'm just going to tell him if he even looks at you the wrong way again he'll be dead before his next breath."

"I guess that's better than what you probably would have done." I said shrugging.

"Let's get into the school so you can tell Carter what happened. I'll borrow the phone and call Dad and tell him we're coming straight home."

"I'm sorry." I said again.

"Riley, stop." Jeff said gently. "You didn't do anything to make you have to apologize. You did the right thing by saying something."

"Why don't I feel like I did?" I muttered. Neither Matt nor Jeff answered as we entered the school.

"Can I help you?" the secretary, Mrs. Hayverston asked as we walked up to her desk.

"I need to speak with Mr. Carter." I said. "I need to report something that happened on the bus." Mrs. Hayverston nodded, picked up her phone and punched in a couple numbers. After talking for a few minutes, she hung up the phone.

"He'll see the three of you." she said.

"I was wondering if I could borrow your phone for a minute. I need to call my dad and let him know what's going on." Matt said. Mrs. Hayverston nodded and placed the phone in front of him. Jeff grabbed my elbow and lead me into Mr. Carter's office.

"Aw, Mr. Hardy and Ms. Mitchell." Mr. Carter said. "What's this I hear about an incident on the bus?"

"I wasn't on the bus sir. My brother picked me up today, but Riley had a problem with one of the students on there."

"Ms. Mitchell, would you care to explain what happened?" Mr. Carter asked. I nodded and explained what happened on the bus. Mr. Carter nodded as I told my story.

"Mr. Weston is the boy who did this?" Mr. Carter asked just as I finished. I nodded.

"You're sure?" Mr. Carter asked.

"Yes, it was Ronald Weston." I said. "I kept telling him to stop, but he wouldn't."

"Thank you for telling me Riley." Mr. Carter said. "I've actually had reports of him giving girls inappropriate looks, but my hands were tied until he did something physical to one of the girls, and this is definitely what we need. I can automatically expel him."

"Does it have to go that far?" I asked, shocked.

"This is a serious problem. I don't want the girls of this school to be scared for any reason, especially when it comes to someone harassing them in this vile manner." Mr. Carter explained. I nodded, showing I understood. I still wasn't happy about it.

"When does all this happen?" Jeff asked.

"Probably next week." Mr. Carter said. "The sooner the better." We left the room to find Matt had already went to the car. I climbed back into the backseat and looked out the window.

"That pay-per-view isn't sounding as exciting as it was this morning." Matt muttered, looking into the review mirror toward me.

"No, let's keep things normal for the rest of the week." Jeff said. "Ri, I promise I won't do anything to Ron until after everything gets settled." I didn't reply.

"Do you want to come over still tonight, or do you just want to stay home?" Matt asked. "Your uncle and aunt's probably already at our house so if you want to go home I'll drop you off and tell them that you're there."

"No, just go on to your house." I said. "I'm being to much of a bother as it is. I don't want you guys going through more for me." Neither one said anything, but I knew what they were thinking. The ride to the Hardy house was silent, the actual house was a different story. There was so much laughing and noise we heard it outside in the driveway.

"We'll go to my room and work on our homework Riley." Jeff said, grabbing his backpack from the trunk where Matt had thrown mine as well. It helped that Jeff and I had the same teachers, we just had all of them except 3 at different periods. I grabbed my backpack and slung it over my shoulders. Following Jeff into the house, I barely heard anyone greet us. Jeff led me into his back bedroom, the quietest room in the house right now.

"Do you know what we have to write about for Grant?" Jeff asked, knowing I knew the answer.

"The timeline of the Roman Empire." I answered, grabbing out my history book. We had been working for about 20 minutes when a knock sounded at the door.

"Come in." Jeff called. It was Aunt Marylyn.

"Matthew told us what happened." she said. "With that Ron kid. I'm so glad you did the right thing Riley."

"It's nothing Aunt Mary." I said, looking at my history book without really seeing it.

"Still, it was the right thing and it took a lot of courage." Aunt Marylyn said. "I'm proud of you." With that she walked back into the other room. I slammed my book shut, not being able to concentrate any longer.

"Want to go out there?" Jeff asked.

"You can." I said. "I want to be alone for a minute." Jeff nodded and cleaned up his books. He left the room, shutting the door behind him. I looked around the room and sighed. He had so many pictures of the two of us together. The first time I stayed at his house and the first time he stayed at my house. The night I met my father, and every single birthday picture of the two of us since we were 7. I looked at the picture from our thirteenth birthday, our last party, and in the back behind us was Ron. I quickly looked to the picture beside it. Jeff and I on our fourteenth birthdays. We were both holding up the bracelets Jeff had made, the one I still wear on my left wrist. The same went with the last one. Our fifteenth birthday picture. I turned from the pictures and looked on his desk. On it was a piece of paper with doodles on it. It read stuff like J&R Best friends for life and stuff like that.

Smiling, I walked into the hallway and heard everyone screaming at one another in a playful argument. Even Aunt Mary.

"No no no Paul!" Mr. Hardy was yelling. "I think it's going to Savage."

"I don't know." Uncle Paul said. "Flair is on a pretty good streak." Savage? Flair? What on earth are they talking about?

"I'm going with Dad Mr. Calaway." Matt said.

"Same here!" Jeff yelled excitedly.

"Is Riley coming out here anytime soon?" Aunt Marylyn asked.

"I don't know, she said she wanted some time alone." Jeff said. "She's really upset over what happened at school today."

"I understand why." Uncle Paul said. "I've seen so many people lose it after getting harassed like that."

"She kept saying it wasn't that big a deal, he just touched her leg after she told him not to." Jeff said. I tip toed closer to the living room, actually being able to see into it now. The adults were on the couch and chairs while Matt and Jeff was sitting on the floor.

"What do you think's going to go on with The Undertaker?" Mr. Hardy asked, changing the subject thankfully.

"I don't know. He's facing Roberts right?" Uncle Paul asked.

"I don't know, is he?"

"I think he is."

"Good luck to him. What kind of match is this anyway?"

"Grudge Match." Uncle Paul answered. I decided I needed to make myself known just as Jeff said "I think I'm going to go check on Riley. It's almost time for the thing to start."

"No need." I said, walking into the room. "I'm here." I sat down next to Jeff on the floor, leaning against the couch.

"You feeling okay?" Uncle Paul asked me. I nodded. "Good, because there's going to be a great surprise for you on here." I looked at the time. 8:00. Time for the show to start. It started out with a country singer singing the Star-Spangled Banner. Then a match between two pairs of people. Then another match between two people on their own.

"Here it comes Riley!" Uncle Paul said. There was a gong, followed by the lights going out then the arena turning purple. A short round man walked out after a minute, followed by a very tall, very familiar looking man.

"DAD!" I shouted, recognizing him at once. "That's what he went to do after his contract went out?"

"Yep," Uncle Paul said. "Your Dad finally made it to the big time." he said. I watched with amazement as the match went through. The way Dad moved was nothing compared to what I thought he could do.

"How is he doing this?" I asked, watching Dad drop the other guy on his head on a mat on the floor.

"Talent." Uncle Paul said. "Go Mark!" he shouted as Dad put his body on top of the other guys' body. A guy dressed in blue hit his hand to the ring three times, then pointed to something. Out of nowhere a bell rang and everyone in the audience cheered.

"Ha he won!" Uncle Paul shouted.

"Is that wrestling wrestling?" I asked him. He nodded, keeping his eyes on the screen. I turned to Jeff, who was staring at the television in just as much amazement as I showed. A glance at Matt showed the same amazement in his eyes. This was incredible. The rest of the time showed big gold belts being fought for. I finally understood what Savage and Flair meant when a match between two people called Randy Savage and Ric Flair started up. I watched the woman with Savage with awe.

"She's so pretty." I said out loud.

"That's Ms. Elizabeth, Randy's wife." Uncle Paul explained. "She's also his manager. She goes to the ring with him and cheers him on, gives him a boost when he needs one." I looked back to the ring just as the match started. It lasted quite a while. In the end, Mr. Hardy was right about the winner. It was Randy Savage.

"Macho man all the way." Mr. Hardy said after the match. The event was completely over and I was getting ready to head home with Uncle Paul and Aunt Marylyn.

"Thanks for letting us watch tonight Dad." Matt said. "I'll see you guys tomorrow." Matt left the room while Jeff and Mr. Hardy walked with us to the front door.

"I'll see you in the morning." Jeff said.

"Oh wait, I'm almost forgetting my backpack." I said, running back toward Jeff's room. He followed me and plopped down on his bed.

"You could of left it here, you would of just had to come here in the morning to pick it up." Jeff said.

"I have homework to finish, as do you." I reminded him.

"It's only math and we can work on it during lunch." Jeff said. "It's not that hard, I know it's not for you. You can tutor me."

"Jeff, your definition of me 'tutoring' you is you copying my work." I said, picking up my bag.

"Still, I remember what answers I put down. That should count." Jeff said, laying back against his pillows.

"Okay, fine. I guess I'll give you that." I said.

"Hey Riley, can I ask you something?" Jeff said suddenly. I froze, he never asked that before. He just went out and asked what he normally wanted to know.

"Uh, sure I guess." I said, not really sure if I wanted to hear the question.

"What do you think of Melody Carmichael?" he asked.

"Melody Carmichael?" I asked, wondering why he was asking about her. "I don't know, she's pretty cool I guess. I mean I don't really talk to her. Why?"

"It's nothing, I just wanted to know what you thought about her. You've talked to her more than I have." I looked at Jeff for a minute and noticed the slight blush in his cheeks.

"You like her!" I said. He smiled and nodded.

"Go for it." I said. "She's available and everything. Go for it. If you're yourself with her, I'm sure she'll like you too."

"Will you talk to her for me?" Jeff asked. I froze again.

"I don't know, you know I'm not good at talking to certain people."

"I know, that's why I want you to." Jeff said.

"Care to explain?" I asked. Jeff chuckled and shook his head.

"If you can talk to her easily, then I'll try for it, but if you can't, I'll just leave her alone. I want people to be able to get along with you Riley. They'll see a lot of you when you're with me, and if you and a girl can't get along, then it's not happening. I'll put my best friend before a regular girlfriend any day."

"So, it's basically like a test to see if the two of you would work out or not, over whether or not I get along with her?" I asked, trying to understand his plan more. He nodded.

"Okay, I guess I can." I said. Jeff smiled and gave me a quick hug.

"Your dad's a pretty athletic guy." Jeff said after a minute.

"I know, I didn't expect that from him." I said, thinking back to what I just seen.

"Riley, your aunt and uncle's waiting." Mr. Hardy's voice said from behind me, making me jump slightly.

"I better get going." I said. "I'll do that for you tomorrow." Jeff nodded and smiled.

"Thanks Riley, I owe you one for this." Jeff said. I smiled and left the room, meeting my aunt and uncle in the car.

"What took you so long?" Aunt Marylyn asked as Uncle Paul started driving down the long driveway.

"Just talking to Jeff." I said, thinking about what I was going to say to Melody tomorrow. This was going to be interesting.

* * *

><p><em>It's long, I know sorry. Haha but everything had to happen and I couldn't find a good spot to stop. lol. And the official reveal. Mark Calaway, AKA the Undertaker is Riley's biological father. XD His brother is his actual brother, just not sure about Marylyn. LOL So thanks for reviewing and reading and adding me to your alerts. More will be coming soon so stay tuned. XD<em>


	8. Chapter 8

The minute I got home I went to my bedroom to get ready for bed. I threw on my nightshirt with a pair of shorts. Climbing into bed, I thought about everything that happened today. What happened with Ron on the bus. I could still feel his hand on me, and it sent shivers up and down my spine. What shocked me the most was that Matt and I were actually able to talk Jeff out of something that he had his mind set on doing.

Jeff asking me about Melody Carmichael shocked me also, but not too badly. I knew he would start getting into dating girls, but I didn't know when, and I really didn't except him to consider my feelings on who he dated.

The biggest thing for me though was seeing Dad on the television, doing what he's been doing for years. That was the first time I've really seen him in action like that, and it was the most amazing thing I've ever seen. Dad looked so graceful, I've never thought I'd see him like that.

I got into bed and laid back against my pillow, facing the wall that was to the right of me. I stared at the white paint until I felt my eyes get heavy, eventually closing and sending me off to sleep.~POV: Normal~Riley looked around the huge room, wondering where she was. It looked like a mansion to her, but it was hard to tell.

"Riley up here!" A voice called from above. Riley looked and seen her mother standing at the top of a grand staircase.

"Mom?" Riley asked, not recognizing her for a minute. Her mother looked more like a teenager than the woman who died when Riley was 7.

"Yes, it's me Riley. You look so beautiful." Samantha said, gliding down the stairs and toward her daughter.

"Mom, why did you have to go?" Riley asked her mother suddenly. "I miss you."

"I know, Ruby was telling me." Samantha said. Suddenly a woman was standing beside her. Riley looked at the woman and realized who she was.

"Mrs. Hardy." Riley said, shocked. The woman smiled, but soon gave an evil glare. She suddenly turned into Ron Weston.

"Mrs. Hardy!" Riley shouted, terrified. She looked over and noticed her mother was gone. In her place was a stranger wearing a mask.

"Mommy!" Riley cried. She started backing away from the two.

"Mrs. Hardy! Mom!" she yelled again. No one came to help her. Riley whimpered as Ron moved closer to her.

"Please, someone help me!" Riley called. "Uncle Paul! Dad! Mr. Hardy! Matt! Jeff! Please help me!" There was no answer. She remembered that a while ago, Jeff had said he would be there for her, no matter what.

"JEFF!" Riley screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Riley." She heard someone call. She looked around and seen Jeff standing right beside her.

"Jeff, help me." Riley said, reaching for his hand. All she found was air. She looked over again and he was gone.

"Jeff!" Riley called. "Jeff where are you?" Suddenly there was a bright light, followed by the sound of mumbled voices. She tried to listen to what they were saying, but she couldn't.

"Riley." She heard a voice echo. "Riley wake up!" the voice echoed again.

"Help me!" she tried to call, but she was suddenly drained of energy. "Help."

"Riley, it's me. Wake up." the voice said again. She could almost make out how it was, but it was still hard. She suddenly opened her eyes, and was looking into the green eyes of Jeff Hardy.

"Hey are you okay?" Jeff asked her, putting his arm around her shoulders. Riley nodded, hugging him back. When he started pushing her back against her pillows, she didn't fight him off. He still had his arms around her, but he was suddenly completely limp.

"Jeff?" Riley said, shaking him. She was about to move his face to look at him when she felt something warm and sticky on her stomach. She looked down and seen bright red blood on her sheets. She looked at Jeff, and seen a knife sticking out of his back. Screaming, Riley tried to move him to run and get her uncle, but before she could even move her hand, the knife was pulled from Jeff's back. Riley looked to see who had grabbed it, and seen it was Ron standing above her and Jeff's lifeless body.

"Playing hard to get?" Ron asked, before thrusting the knife in her direction. Riley screamed and sat shot right up in bed just as her uncle and aunt came running into her bedroom.~POV: Riley~I gasped for breath and looked around, seeing my Aunt and Uncle standing in my doorway.

"Riley, sweetie are you okay?" Uncle Paul asked me, turning on my light. I threw up my arms, knowing the light was going to be blinding.

"Y-yeah." I said. "Bad dream."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Aunt Marylyn asked. I shook my head.

"No, I'm fine. Sorry I woke you." I said. Aunt Marylyn and Uncle Paul looked at each other for a minute before nodding and heading out the door.

"Goodnight." Aunt Marylyn said, turning off my light and shutting the door. I pulled the cover back up to my chin and stared around my darkened room. It seemed I couldn't help but have nightmares where Jeff ends up leaving me. Maybe it was a sign, a sign that our friendship isn't as strong as we thought it might have been. It couldn't be that way though. He's been there for me for everything, and I've been there for him.

"There's no way our friendship will change." I thought, snuggling into the bed further and going back to next morning, I woke up a little tired after waking up in the middle of the night, but otherwise fine. I took a quick shower and dressed in a black t-shirt with blue jeans and sneakers. I had just finished tying the laces when a knock sounded at the door. I knew it was Jeff, he was the only one who knocked so persistently.

"Hey Jeff." I said after opening the door. He walked in, also wearing a black shirt and jeans, but his jeans was a darker shade of blue than mine. He also had on a baseball cap.

"Hey Riley. You look tired." Jeff said, closing the door behind him.

"Yeah I had another nightmare last night." I explained.

"Oh are you okay?" he asked. I nodded.

"Yeah it wasn't nothing. Just a little dream." I said, running my hand through my long bushy hair.

"You sure?" Jeff asked, looking skeptical.

"Positive." I said. He nodded and walked into the kitchen.

"So, what did you think about the pay-per-view last night?" Jeff asked, walking back into the living room with two glasses of orange juice. He handed me one and we sat on the couch.

"It was the most amazing thing I've ever seen. The weird part was seeing Dad on the TV." I answered, taking a sip of the juice.

"Yeah I know." Jeff replied, taking a huge gulp of his juice, then flinching. "Damn I keep forgetting how sour this juice is." he muttered. I laughed and took another sip from my cup. "You're aunt and uncle really love sour things don't they?"

"Not really, just their juices. They love sweet tea too. Like, super sweet." I said, setting my cup on the table.

"They're going to be the death of me." Jeff said, setting his cup beside mine. I just laughed, knowing it could be true, considering they could possibly end up being the death of me as well.

"Oh well," Jeff said. I looked at the time and seen that it was nearly 6:45. Time for us to walk to the bus stop.

"We better get going." I said, picking up mine and his glasses and placing them in the sink.

"Do we have to?" Jeff groaned, walking to the front door and picking up his book bag.

"Yes, if you want me to talk to Melody for you we do." I said. He perked up at the mention of Melody's name.

"Let's go before we're late." He said, grabbing my hand and dragging me toward the door.

"Hang on a minute, I have to go tell my aunt I'm leaving and get my lunch money." I said, walking toward the back hallway. I knocked on Aunt Marylyn's door and waited to be let in.

"I'm leaving Aunt Mary." I said. Aunt Marylyn got into her purse and grabbed out a five dollar bill.

"Here, keep whatever's left over." She said, handing me the bill.

"Thanks." I said, putting the money in my pocket.

"Have a good day honey." she said, hugging me to her side.

"You too." I said, hugging her back. I ran toward the front door to find Jeff had already went outside.

"See you later kiddo!" Uncle Paul called from the kitchen.

"Bye!" I called back, running out the front door.

"Jeff?" I called, not seeing him.

"Right here." he said from beside me, making me jump.

"Will you stop sneaking off like that?" I asked, walking down the stairs and down the driveway. Jeff caught up with me in two strides.

"I think I want to become a wrestler." he said suddenly.

"Really?" I asked. He nodded. "You'll probably make a good one. You're a natural athlete." I said.

"You think so?" he asked. I nodded and stopped walking. We were at the end of my driveway, our bus stop.

"What about you? I seen the way you was staring at Ms. Elizabeth last night. You envied her." Jeff said, leaning against a tree.

"She was pretty." I said. "But I don't think I'd like to just stand there off to the side."

"You probably want to be in on the action huh?" Jeff said, pushing himself off the tree just as the bus pulled up.

"I don't know. I'm probably not athletic enough." I said. "But I would love to do something with that business."

"Maybe since your father's a wrestler you can get in hands down." Jeff said, walking up the bus and walking to a seat that was miraculously empty. He stood back to let me have the window seat, then sat down himself.

"Probably not." I said, setting my book bag on my lap. "They probably only go for talent."

"Don't sell yourself short. You have a lot of talents Riley. You just need to find them." Jeff said, leaning his head against his bag.

"I know what my talent is." I said, looking out the window.

"What?" Jeff asked.

"Being invisible." I answered almost in a whisper, not looking away from the window even though I had no idea what I was looking at. I didn't even look up to see if Jeff had heard me.

"Hey, you're not invisible. I see you, Matt sees you. A lot of people see you. You just have a problem with seeing them." Jeff replied, grabbing my hand into his.

"Wouldn't you if you lost your mother, then got abandoned by a social worker and nearly died from it? All at the age of 7 and all in the same week?" I asked, turning to look at him.

"Abandoned by a social worker?" Jeff asked, so shocked he let go of my hand. "When was that?"

"A few hours before I collapsed at the end of your driveway." I replied.

"Wait wait wait one damned minute." Jeff said, turning his body to face me fully. "You collapsed on our driveway when we were 7 because a social worker abandoned you?" I nodded. "Why the hell didn't you tell anyone?"

"When did you get so into cursing?" I asked.

"Don't change the subject Riley." Jeff snapped. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I was 7 Jeff, I didn't know any better." I said, looking down and playing with the zipper on my bag. "I didn't know I was being abandoned. I just thought that's what she was supposed to do."

"Riley, that's not what that asshole was supposed to do." Jeff said. "Those rich snobs were supposed to take care of you until they found you a place to stay." He grabbed my hand again and used his other to turn my face to his. "I'm not yelling at you Riley. I know you think I am. Believe me, I'm not."

"I know." I said, looking down again. "So what do you want me to say to Melody?" I asked. He just shrugged.

"Just say whatever comes to mind." Jeff said. I nodded and looked out the window again. It was starting to get light out, so I could see the trees and an occasional light pole and a mail box. The bus turned a corner and I seen the school. I was suddenly nervous. I didn't pay attention to who was on the bus when I first got on. Looking around now, my gaze fell on the sight that made my heart stall. Ron was riding at the front of the bus. He was sitting with Miranda Perkins. I looked over and seen Jeff looking at him as well, a look of pure hatred in his eyes. The bus pulled up to the school and everyone stood up to get off. Ron was the first one. Jeff watched him and followed as fast as he could.

"Jeff." I mumbled, knowing exactly what he was planning on doing. Jeff acted as though he didn't hear me.

"Hey Ron!" Jeff shouted over the crowd. Ron turned and seen Jeff walking toward him. Ron smiled and held up his arms as though to embrace Jeff, but lowered them back down when he seen the look on Jeff's face.

"What's up?" Ron asked, his face holding confusion as Jeff stopped in front of him.

"What the hell were you thinking yesterday?" Jeff asked. "I thought you were her friend Ron. Why would you do that to her?"

"What the hell are you talking about Jeff?" Ron asked, backing away from Jeff. He looked next to Jeff, where I was standing and gave me a ghost of a smirk. He winked at me then turned back to Jeff.

"Just stay the hell away from her, or else you'll have to deal with me!" Jeff shouted, grabbing my arm and leading me toward the front doors of the school. I didn't realize a crowd had formed and many people had started shouting "fight" over and over again.

"Where you goin' Jeff?" Ron called out suddenly. "Upset because I had fun with your little girlfriend." Jeff's grip tightened on my arm, making it nearly numb.

"Jeff, you're hurting me." I whispered. He loosened his grip and continued walking toward the school.

"You know Jeffrey," Ron called. "She wanted it, she loved it." Jeff's grip tightened again, so he let go of my arm and balled his hand into a fist instead.

"Ignore him Jeff. He's just trying to piss you off." I muttered. Jeff looked slightly surprised by the fact that I cursed, but he couldn't ignore what Ron said next.

"You know, I bet that you two screw each other all the time, I mean, c'mon, two teenagers living next door in the middle of woods. One lost his mother, and one's an orphan. There's bound to be something going on there!"

"I'm not an orphan!" I shouted without thinking, turning around to face him again. "My father is alive and well!"

"Yeah, sure. Just keep believing that." Ron said, snickering. I felt Jeff tense up even more.

"Look here Ronald Weston!" I shouted, storming up to him. "You just shut up about things you don't know! You don't know me. You don't know Jeff! You probably don't even know your ass from your face! Just leave us alone!" The crowd was silent, except for a soft chuckle coming from behind me. I whipped my head around and seen it was Jeff laughing. Ron looked dumbstruck. I turned back to the school and headed in, grabbing Jeff's hand and pulling him along with me.

"Now who's cursing a lot?" Jeff asked as we reached our lockers. I growled at him and worked on opening my locker, hitting it when I couldn't get the combination right.

"Riley, calm down. It's okay. Mr. Carter's going to take care of things." Jeff said, grabbing my hand to stop me from hitting the locker again. He reached over and put in my number, pulling the latch up and opening the door.

"Thanks." I grumbled, putting books in the locker and grabbing some out. I hung my bag on a hook and slammed the locker shut.

"Do you just want to talk to Melody some other time?" Jeff asked me. I groaning, having forgotten about having to do that thanks to our encounter with Ron.

"No, I'll do it today at lunch." I said. "Save me a seat."

"No need. I'll be sitting on my own." Jeff said, shutting his own locker. I didn't even realize he had already opened it.

"Why?" I asked, walking toward my first class, which was without Jeff. His class was on the way so we still walked together.

"Well, considering I'm not sitting with a pr…sorry." He said when he seen my eyes grow wide over the word he was about to say. "Since I'm not sitting with a person like Ron, I'm away from everyone else but you."

"I'm sorry." I mumbled, knowing it was my fault.

"If those guys hear what he did to you, and they still hang out with him, then it's nothing to worry about." Jeff said, stopping in front of his class. I stopped with him and faced him.

"So I guess I'll see you next period." I said. Jeff nodded and turned and walked into his classroom. I quickly walked to mine, but I wasn't able to pay attention to what the teacher was saying. It had been a long day so far, and the day was just getting started. I just hoped my talk with Melody made the day worthwhile.

* * *

><p>AN: Hey all, sorry it took so long to get this up! I haven't had the mind set to work on it. Thank you all who read, subscribed, and reviewed it. It means a lot to me it really does. And hopefully I can get back into the swing of editing this one again. haha Again thank you, and until next time. :D


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